


Take Me Down

by MythicalCatie



Series: Love Me Now [1]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, Dark!Link, Link's Arrest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-08 19:26:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14700645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MythicalCatie/pseuds/MythicalCatie
Summary: Link never thought he'd be caught for his crimes. He had been an expert at covering his tracks. But yet, two dozen police officers were now at his door, ready to apprehend him for what he'd done.





	Take Me Down

Link smiled, jabbing his bare foot into Rhett’s side in response to one quip or another that he had made about his morning routine. “You shouldn’t be talking during the movie, you dork.”

The Little Mermaid was on the television; it was something that would satisfy the most people on the furniture in the living room, so it was what they had chosen. It was one of their days off, so they decided to spend it as a lazy day, eating snacks and binging Disney. They couldn’t complain, that was for sure.

“Do you not see the child on my lap, Neal? Be careful,” Rhett said sternly, but then a warm chuckle followed it. “And we don’t name call in this house, remember?”

“Yeah, Daddy,” Violet, their six year old, echoed. “It’s not very nice.”

Link grinned, nice and wide, at his husband’s little shadow. She was just too cute (that said, he might be just the slightest bit biased.) “Oh, I’m sorry, baby,” he apologized, smirking at his spouse. “I won’t do it again.”

The blonde nodded, obviously satisfied. Her daddy never broke his promises, not ever.

“Papa!” their three year old, Sailor, exclaimed, a pout on her round little face. “Shhhh! My favorite song on!”

Under the Sea. Of course. She loved the singing crab, Sebastian, and the big band feel of the song as a whole.

“Sorry, darlin’. I’ll try to keep it down.”

He wasn’t speaking in her terms, so, naturally, she felt the need to say it louder. “Be quiet!”

Rhett snickered. “Yeah, I’ll be quiet.”

Quiet Rhett was. Well, at least until the doorbell rang about a half an hour later. “Vi,” he whispered to his daughter, brushing her Rapunzel-esque hair from her face. “Wanna stay with Daddy or do you want to go see who’s at the door?”

“I wanna go see who’s at the door,” Violet whispered, trying her best not to disturb Sailor or any of her other siblings. “Do you think it’s a friend, Papa?”

“Well, angel, why don’t we go see?” And, without waiting for more than a nod, Rhett stood up effortlessly and settled Violet on his hip (but if she got any bigger, he’d have to find a new way to carry her) before nudging Link with his own foot and giving him a quick smile. With that, he was off to the door. He checked the peephole, and his eyes widened to find a team of at least twenty police officers at the door. But, he opened it anyway, knowing in his heart that they wouldn’t leave without an answer. The sinking feeling in his stomach didn’t help his worry as to why they were there in the first place.

“I wanna see! I wanna see! Papa, who is it?”

Rhett ignored her this time, simply opening the door to be met, face to face, with the army of cops on their front porch. This definitely could _not_ be good. “Hello,” he greeted, putting his “polite voice” on even though he was terrified out of his mind with all the possibilities of why they could be here running through it. He had an example to set for his child. “What can I do for you today, officers?”

“Is this the home of Charles Lincoln Neal III?” the lead officer, a tall man with greying brown hair and a beard to match, asked.

“Yeah, this is his home,” Rhett confirmed, his stomach beginning to tie itself in knots. Why did the cops want to talk to Link? What could he have to do with anything that the _police_ were involved in? “Violet, ears covered, please. And hum la la la. Do it nice and loud.” Once the first-grader was following his instructions, and only then, he asked, “Why do you need to see him?”

The lead officer sighed internally. He really had hoped, by some chance, that their profile was wrong and Link was childless and unmarried. At least there was a chance that ‘Violet’ was their only one. Speaking over her, he asked, “What is your relation to Mr. Neal?”

“I’m his husband,” Rhett said, and he was growing more and more frustrated by the second. **What. did. they. WANT?** “Now can you please tell me what this is about?”

“Sir, your husband is under arrest for the murders of a dozen men and women,” the officer said, and his face showed no sign that he was just kidding. It was nearing April Fool’s Day, and Link always liked to go all out. He would wonder if maybe that’s what this was, but doubts started to fill his head. Unless he was going to break soon, he was way too serious for it to be a joke.

“What?” Rhett asked incredulously, “There must be some mistake. He would never…” Rhett wanted to call Link to the door to sort this out, but a piece of him was shouting out not to. To protect him. So, he kept up the charade of questioning the cop in front of him instead. In doing so, he held their daughter tighter, too, if only to bring comfort to himself.

“Well, sir, an arrest warrant we have right here…” The man produced it and showed it to Rhett, “says that he would. Is he home at this moment?”

Rhett didn’t want to respond to that question. In fact, he was tempted to lie, but wasn’t that a punishable offense, too? “Yes, he is home,” he confirmed, his voice getting quieter with every word. He felt as if he was betraying Link, and more and more like this wasn’t a prank.

Before the officers had the chance to ask Rhett to go fetch him, Link appeared at the door. He had grown impatient, and frankly, a bit worried, when his husband and daughter didn’t return in a timely manner or at least shout out who was paying them a visit.

He was carrying their toddler, a clingy little thing who had insisted on coming with him. “You okay, babe?” he inquired, quirking an eyebrow in Rhett’s direction before catching a view of the officers on his porch. This couldn’t be good. “Rhett, what’s going on?” he asked, feigning nervousness. He knew exactly what was happening.

“You’re under arrest for murder,” Rhett informed him, his voice breaking as he felt his knees start to give out on him. He would have to rush to the bathroom at any minute to dispel of his lunch.  

“I’m what?” He was smarter than this. He was sure he’d **never** get caught.

“Charles Lincoln Neal III?” the officer asked once again.

“Yes, sir,” Link confirmed.

Before a response could be given, they heard a pair of tiny feet pad into the room and get close to Link. Then, small arms wrapped around and hugged his leg. He knew those arms, and the weight of that head laying down on his calve.

He turned around the best he could, smiling at the face that now beamed up at him. Andrew.

“Hey, buddy,” he greeted, smiling. “Wanna come up?”  

A nod, and arms reaching up into the air, grasping at nothing.

Before he could even pick the baby up, another child had appeared in the foyer. “Daddy?” the oldest, Charles IV, questioned, looking up at his father. “What’s goin’ on?” Looking around, he quickly noticed the police officers and smiled. That’s what he wanted to be when he grew up. “Are these policemen your friends?”

The hearts of the police officers, as well as the heart of the boy’s father, began to crumble. After this, the poor kid will never want to _look_ at a police officer, nevermind _be_ one.

“No, pal. They’re not,” Link said softly as he picked up their fourth youngest, his voice a bit sad even though he was trying not to show it. “Why don’t you take your sister into the other room while Papa and I sort this out?”

“But Dadddddd,” he whined. “You’re gonna miss the movie! And why does Vi get to stay? And Sailor?”

“Because Sailor’s in her clingy stage. She doesn’t want to leave Daddy right now. Please, hon. Just go sit down with your sister.” He was practically begging. They didn’t need to see this. And, as a matter of fact, neither did Violet and Sailor, but he doubted they could get rid of either daughter, especially the latter. By this point, Link had become certain that she would be attached to his hip for the rest of her life.

“But what about the movie?!” he asked again, starting to grow impatient.

“You can go watch it and tell Daddy what happens later.” He hated lying to his kids, knowing damn well that there wouldn’t _be_ a later. But sometimes, he had to do it. It was for their own good.

“But I-”

That was when one of the younger, more built police officers stepped up and cut in. Thank God, somebody was coming to the rescue. “Hey, man,” he greeted, a warm smile on his face. “Why don’t I come in and we take your…” He looked at Rhett.

“Papa,” Rhett supplied.

“Why don’t we take your Papa and your sisters into the living room and we can watch the movie together while my friends here talk to your Daddy? Or maybe I can show you my police badge.” Kids usually like that sort of thing, didn’t they?

“Sailor won’t let go of Daddy, Mister. My Papa told me it’s because she loves him _so_ much that she wants to be clingy.”

The officer looked at Rhett with an expression that asked, _“Is there any way you could take her? Any way at all?”_

Rhett’s expression told him, _“I’ll try.”_ Putting Violet, who still had her fingers in her ears (trying her best, but looking very tired), down, he reached for Sailor, who immediately jerked her body away from him and clung to Link tighter. “No! No pick up!”

“It’s okay, baby,” Link assured, hugging her close and planting a kiss on her forehead. “Go on. Go with Papa, Say. It’s okay. Go with Papa.”

Sailor simply clung to Link tighter, wrapping her chubby arms around his neck and refusing to let go. Rhett would have to pry her off of him if he wanted her so badly. “No!” Her favorite word when it came to Rhett trying to thieve her from Daddy. If he hadn’t been through this stage with their older children (some of whom had favored him), he’d be worried she’d _never_ want him to hold her.

Rhett gave him a helpless look, not wanting to have to rip his daughter away from her (at least for the moment) favorite father. And judging by the way things were currently going, that might not be the case for very long. At least he hoped for her sake that it wasn’t.

Link sighed and used a great amount of strength to pull the child away from him (after giving her at least three kisses; he was most likely going down for this and he’d be damned if he didn’t get as many kisses as possible), holding her at arm’s length before handing her over to Rhett. Of course, she wailed all the way. That only made it hurt worse for all of them.

Frankly, hearing her cry, Link wanted to cry with her. It shattered his heart into a million pieces to watch her sob and reach out for him only to have him ignore her.

The officer who had had the great idea to take her away stepped into the house and smiled sympathetically at Rhett. Shouting over the toddler, he said, “Let’s take this to the living room, huh?”

“Wait, wait,” Link interrupted, his voice loud but still gentle. “Can I hug them while they’re all still here? I have to say goodbye. Please.”

After a moment, the lead officer nodded. He didn’t see it as complying with a murderer’s request. He saw it as doing what was best for the children. Their father was going away for a long, long time if he could do anything to help it. Even though he was starting to feel sorry for the family based on the sight that he was seeing, that was the truth. So, he said yes, hoping that it would bring them all some peace on this hectic night.

After hugging, kissing, and handing Andrew off to the police officer who had stepped inside, Link began with Sailor, hoping that his kiss would calm her down. He regretted not being able to hug her, though. But if she did, he’d never let him go. Thankfully, it helped some.

Violet was next, if only so he could tell her to take her hands off of her ears.

Then, it was Charles IV, who held on the longest. Of course, they didn’t know what was going on. They just thought they were getting hugs from their Daddy. But Link… Link knew, and he could barely keep it together.

He wanted to kiss the twins, of _course,_  but they were upstairs taking their afternoon nap and he didn’t have the heart to disturb them. They barely recognized him now, and they wouldn’t remember him a few weeks down the line, nevermind a few years.

Last was Rhett. Unable to hug him due to their daughter being in his arms, he kissed him long and slow, having to stand on his toes to get to his face. It was gentle and passionate all at the same time, probably the best kiss that Link would ever give him.

When he pulled away, he saw that a couple of stray tears had escaped Rhett’s eyes. “Stay strong, love,” he whispered. “We’re gonna need you.” And if it was said that Rhett didn’t want to cry even harder after that, the person who said it would be sadly mistaken.

Rhett, along with the officer, somehow managed to shepherd the children back into the living room and away from the scene in the foyer. Even with Sailor still screaming and Andrew (or, as they mostly referred to him, Andy) looking skeptically at the officer carrying him as well as Charles complaining about how “he won’t know about all the funny parts,” they managed to get them there.

“Charles Lincoln Neal III,” the lead officer repeated once the kids were gone, his voice firm. “You are under arrest for the murders of a dozen men and women in the state of California.”

Well, he wasn’t going to deny it. It _was_ true, after all. But he had done the right thing. He was proud. “Do you have a warrant for my arrest?”

"As a matter of fact, we do,” the man, whose name tag, as Link could see, read _N. Robinson,_ stated, holding it up to show him.

“Do you mind?” Link asked, taking it from him and reading it carefully before handing it back. “Well, okay then.” And with that, he turned around and put his hands behind his back. There was no sense in fighting it. It would only make things worse for him. “Let’s get this settled.”

At that, all of the officers looked around confused at each other. They were expecting much more of a fallout, but now, they supposed, the majority of them were unnecessary. Well, it was better to be drastically overprepared rather than underprepared in situations like this one, so all was still well. They just had to all say that they'd never seen the arrest of a serial killer go over so smoothly before.

Even their captain looked surprised, but he took it as a win and simply went about locking the cuffs onto Link’s wrists, and then proceeded to turn him around and read him his rights. “You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand your rights as I have just read them for you?"

“Yes, sir.”

“Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?”

“No, sir,” Link replied politely, shaking his head. He could afford a good lawyer. He _had_ a good lawyer. He wasn’t going to blow it because he couldn’t keep his big, fat mouth shut.

“All right, let’s get this show on the road, then.”

With that, Link was led down the front steps of his home and out to the pavement, surrounded by the rest of the officers who had accompanied the, really, only one of two required officers.

He could still hear screaming from inside the home, and it killed him to listen to. He wished he could run back in there and comfort his daughter in the way she deserved to be comforted, but he couldn’t. All he could do was endure it as he was being settled into a police car and driven down the street, flashing lights and all.

He didn’t know when the next time he’d see his family was, or what he had in store for him. Honestly speaking, he’d never even imagined it, and maybe that had been too arrogant, but the fact was that he hadn’t. All he had left was facts. The fact that he was being arrested, the fact that he might be convicted. The fact that it was very possible that he’d go away for the rest of his life for his crimes. And, lastly, the fact that he was leaving Rhett and their children in the rearview mirror.


End file.
